Consequences
by LanternLight13
Summary: A month after the devastation of the Glades and things are moving on. However for some people the consequences of that night must still be dealt with.
1. Chapter 1

This is a companion piece to my other story _Priorities_, but can be read on its own.

In fact I came up with this idea first, but needed to create a backstory for it, liked that idea better and wrote _Priorities_ instead. The mass amount of story subscriptions led me to actually write this down. This is five chapters long.

Set after season one and after _Priorities_: the Glades were destroyed and Tommy didn't technically die.

Any mention of PTSD and its treatment is based on information I found off the internet and is subject to opinions/errors. I am not a professional on this subject nor am I a psychiatrist.

And on with the story…

* * *

**Consequences**

**Chapter 1**

"Do you know Felicity Smoak?"

"Uh, should I?" Roy asked staring questioningly at his girlfriend, Thea, who was in turn staring at her brother through the hospital window.

Over the last month Oliver had been a frequent visitor in this section of the hospital, along with Thea and Laurel Lance. They were all there for Tommy Merlyn. He had survived a building collapsing on him, but surviving was a word with many conditions.

Tommy had yet to wake up.

Seven surgeries had saved his life, along with the heroic acts of John Diggle, but despite all that Tommy had slipped into a coma. And so his friends waited. Laurel was there the most, stopping by in between her cases and her work overseeing the relocation of CNRI to a part of the Glades that was still standing. Oliver was next, though he rarely stayed long and came at odd hours. Thea visited nearly as often, needing a break from the media and life in general. Roy accompanied her most times.

"Do you remember when Tommy first got here and I spent the night in the waiting room?" Thea asked.

"Not something I think I'll ever forget," he said dryly. The memories of the Glades burning were stuck in his head forever. He had saved lives many lives that night, but not enough.

"When I got to the waiting room Laurel was there, her dad was there, Joanna was there and even Oliver's bodyguard was there. Oliver wasn't – he'd left."

"That's significant?"

"Oliver and Tommy grew up together. They are _best friends_. Why would he abandon him in his hour of need?"

"I don't know."

"I don't either. He won't talk to me about that day. But I think it has something to do with Felicity Smoak."

"And who is that, exactly?"

"She works in IT for Queen Consolidated. Oliver gets her to do work in his club for him, that's where Laurel saw her. Walter knows her, and I met her when she dropped off flowers for him after he was kidnapped. Even Detective Lance seemed to know her, from what I overheard in the waiting room that night. Apparently she was helping him to stop the earthquake and got stuck in the Glades in the process. That's why Oliver left, but why did it have to be him? What is Felicity Smoak to him if he's the one that has to go save her?"

"Sorry, did you just say this Felicity chick was working on stopping the Glades disaster?"

"Ugh, I'm thinking that my brother could be in love with this mystery woman, and all you hear is about the Glades. Priorities, Roy," she chided.

"What's this about priorities, Speedy?" Oliver asked, stepping out of Tommy's room.

"Nothing you have to worry about, Brother," she smiled. "How is he?"

The small smile on his face dropped. "The same. But I'm sure he'd love a visit from you."

"That's what I'm here for."

Taking Roy's hand, she towed him into the room while Oliver stalked off down the corridor.

* * *

"_You shouldn't have done that."_

Felicity woke choking on a scream. She threw off her covers and moved so she was sitting on the edge of the bed, head between her knees. Taking several deep breaths she waited as the adrenalin from the dream ebbed away.

Standing, she walked over to her dresser, her collection of earrings shining in the moonlight coming through her window. Taking the marker, sitting there for that exact reason, she crossed out the day's date on her calendar, the photo above of baby ducks mocking her.

It had been a month since the Glades went down in a man-made earthquake, a month since Tommy was critically injured, since Merlyn Senior was killed by Oliver, since Moira Queen was in custody.

It had been a month since Felicity had been trapped in Verdant's basement. It had been a month since she had been held at gunpoint by three men looting the bar. It had been a month since she had set foot in the place. A month since she had had a full night's sleep.

A month's worth of little black crosses stared back at her from the calendar, not marking the passing of days but the number of times she had woken from a nightmare.

A glance at the clock and experience told her she wouldn't get any sleep again that night, so with a sigh Felicity gathered her clothes for the day and headed to the shower. She would be ridiculously early to work, the guards still on the nightshift, but she would be able to get in some good hours on some Hood projects.

Oliver had only Hooded-up a few times in the last few weeks; when some idiot had embezzled from a Help the Glades charity and some notorious mob lord had gone on a crime spree. The city was too busy mourning and rebuilding to need the Hood at the moment, and Oliver had taken the time to be there for his friends and family, as well as the company. So while Verdant was being remodeled and Oliver was in the Queen Consolidated building most days, it suited Felicity perfectly to do all her work from her office in the IT department.

Once at the QC building she threw herself into her work, taking a small break at lunch and continuing on until well past dinner. Stretching out her sore back muscles she twirled around in her chair once before stopping back at the desk. He phone rang then and she picked it up with an absent, "Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello, is anyone there?" she tried again. "Well of course someone would be there, phones don't ring themselves. Look if you can hear me, I can't hear you, so sorry, I'm hanging up now." It wouldn't be the first time the phones had been on the fritz.

"Felicity."

"Gah! Oliver, don't _do_ that," she admonished, clutching at her desk and glaring at her boss in the doorway.

"Sorry," he apologised, not sorry at all. "Was walking through, heard your voice and thought I'd come visit. You're here late."

"I can't stand leaving a project unfinished," she shrugged, picking up the closest thing on her desk just for something to do with her hands. "Was there something I can help you with?"

Oliver blinked. "No, like I said I was just visiting. Can't a guy just visit a friend?"

"At work," Felicity pointed out, "which is where you do work."

He changed tactics, "Who was on the phone?"

"Nobody. Well somebody, but I don't know. Bad line or something."

"Is that normal?"

She shrugged. "They'll call back if they need to. Oh, how's Tommy doing?"

It was Oliver's turn to shrug. "The same." An invitation to dinner or take out was on his lips, but he couldn't muster the courage or indeed figure out why he needed courage in the first place. They dwindled into silence.

"Well," Felicity said in forced cheer. "Like you said, it's late, so I should probably finish this off and call it a night."

"Yeah. Goodnight, Felicity."

* * *

Roy stared at the phone, debating whether or not he should call Felicity Smoak at work again. At first he was just checking if her office was empty, so he could break in and look around, but she seemed chatty, so maybe if he just talked to her she would tell him what he wanted to know. But then again, she was smart, and _he_ wouldn't use her if she wasn't loyal.

Because Roy still wanted to find the Vigilante. And if the Glades were going down in a man-made disaster, which they had, he'd bet everything that the Vigilante was trying to stop it. Thea had overheard that Laurel and Detective Lance had contact with the Vigilante and she had also mentioned that Felicity Smoak, not a trained police professional, had been helping out the detective on the very night of the Glades disaster. So plausibly, that meant that Felicity Smoak knew about the archer and could even know how to find him.

It was a long shot, but something in his gut told him it was a solid lead. Roy had lived his life and survived by following his instincts, and he wasn't about to start ignoring them now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After a quick stop for takeout, Felicity let herself into her apartment, planning to watch TV and drink until she was tired enough to contemplate sleep. It was Friday night, no work the next day, so she had no qualms with drinking more than her one standard glass of wine.

Once changed out of her office wear, she crashed on the couch, a rerun of some popular television show she hadn't had a chance to follow on in the corner. She'd ordered too much food but she would save the leftovers for lunch the next day. A glass of wine finished the picture of a comfortable night in.

Tugging on the blanket draped over the back of the couch, she was a little too enthusiastic and the blanket fell over her and half the coffee table, knocking her wineglass onto the floor with a tinkle of breaking glass.

"Shoot," she grumbled, reaching for the box of tissues nearby to soak up the puddle on her hardwood floor before it stained. Looking down at the mess of red liquid and glass shards, she was taken back to another time.

_Felicity raised her glass with the others, and then threw the contents right into the eyes of the gunman. He screamed in pain and while the other two were distracted, she grabbed a bottle under the bar with her free hand and smashed it over the head of the second man with all her might. She jumped down behind the bar…_

She was broken out of her memory when she accidentally cut her finger on a piece of glass. "Ow," she complained, glaring at her finger, as if it was its fault for getting cut.

Once the mess was mopped up and her finger had been seen to Felicity flopped back onto the couch. She'd forgotten to get a new glass while she was up but decided to give up on the idea, instead turning the TV volume up and focusing on her food while it was still somewhat hot. It was then that the television program returned from the ad break and the sounds of a gunfight rang out in Felicity's apartment.

_She ducked behind the bar and scrambled for the door that led into the corridor. Her safest bet was back in the basement – she wouldn't make it across the open space to the exit. She made the right decision when a second later a bullet flew past her head, taking out a glass bottle. Three more shots followed, taking out bits of the wall and another bottle._

_She dived into the corridor, and then half-crawled-half-ran to the basement door. Punching in the code, she got it open just at the shooter skidded into the corridor. Slipping through, she leant back against the door and slid to the ground after hearing the comforting sound of the locking mechanism. She shrieked and covered her head when three more shots were fired, feeling the reverberation of the bullets hitting the door._

Felicity sucked in a deep breath, moving stiff muscles as she hastily turned off the television.

"Well, there goes my night," she said shakily.

Eyeing the untouched food she decided she had no appetite anymore and that her night was most likely heading in the direction of her staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, waiting for sleep.

Getting up from the couch, she grabbed the food and went to put it in the fridge.

* * *

Oliver had heard that you were supposed to talk to people in a coma, that they could hear you, but four weeks after the fact and what heart-to-heart subject matter he had was gone in the first few days.

So he had resorted to talking to Tommy about the club during the visiting hours, knowing that while Tommy had left Verdant, it was still something he cared about. The other times, the nights when he couldn't sleep or work for QC, Verdant or even the Hood kept him up late, he snuck into his best friend's room. It was then that he started to talk about the Island, the five years he was away. Sometimes it was just a sentence, a statement about what had happened to him. Other nights he would spend the entire time talking, imagining what questions or comments Tommy would make and continuing accordingly. He relished the time, hoping that Tommy did hear, because when he awoke – and he would – he had no idea if he would still have a best friend.

It was after visiting hours, but not late yet, when Oliver arrived that night. He had spent the day working at QC, reassuring board members and the like, visited Felicity briefly, and had decided to stop by on the way home to his empty house. He had some paperwork to do for Verdant so made himself comfortable in the chair and stole Tommy's table, spreading the papers out. To break the silence in amongst the beeps of Tommy's heart monitor he explained the paperwork to him, asking him questions and his opinions. He got no response, but at least he could say he ran the ideas past him.

"Oliver?" asked a woman from the corridor.

"Laurel," he said with a smile, sitting up from his slouched position.

"I don't think I've ever seen you voluntarily do paperwork, or homework for that matter," she laughed softly, walking in and taking a seat in the second chair, by the bed.

"It was bound to catch up with me sometime," he shrugged. "How are you?" he asked. "I haven't seen you for a while."

"I'm good," she beamed. "Work's kept me busy. The CNRI temporary office is open, and the new one is nearly finished. Between those, I barely have time for much else. What about you, how's the club going?"

"Getting there. Still got some work to do on the building, but once we've opened I'm planning to contribute part of the nightly proceeds to various Glades charities."

"That's really thoughtful of you, Ollie."

"Just doing my part."

Much like his conversation with Felicity earlier that night, they fell into silence. They both considered their thoughts, staring at their friend Tommy; pale, not moving except for his breathing, still wrapped in bandages under the covers and constantly monitored by a bevy of machines and wires. With a fond smile Laurel reached out and grabbed his motionless hand.

"He will wake up, won't he, Ollie?" she asked softly.

"Yes."

"He saved me, you know. The only reason he was in the building at all was because he came to save me."

"Laurel…"

"No," she started to tear up. "Don't tell me it wasn't my fault or that it was his choice. It doesn't change the fact that he's here, in the hospital, because of me."

"He's here because he loves you and couldn't stand to lose you."

"But I lost him." Beat. "Oh, Oliver, I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, Laurel."

"No I do, I really do. We've always had a connection, you and I. Tommy and I were over, and you and I got together because of that connection, but I'm starting to wonder if I misinterpreted it."

"Laurel, please."

"No. I know that you said still you have feelings for me, but I don't know if they are the right feelings, that we aren't just holding onto what was."

"Laurel," Oliver said firmly. "I'm not having this conversation with you. Not now, not in this room, not with Tommy here."

"Oh."

"I know what you are saying, I understand. I just think we should take time to think about what we mean to each other and then talk about it, at another time and another place. But you will always be a friend, someone I care about, and I want you to be happy," he said honestly.

"I care about you too, Oliver." She smiled and wiped away a tear.

The conversation turned to lighter subjects after that, reminiscing about the trouble they had got up to when younger.

"Did you buy flowers?" Laurel asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Flowers," she said, pointed at the small bunch sitting under the window.

Oliver frowned, wondering where he had seen that style of arrangement before. Then he remembered another hospital room with his step-father as the patient. "They're from someone at Queen Consolidated," he said with a fond smile. Glancing at his watch, he gathered his paperwork. "I'll give you guys some time together," he said, leaning down to kiss her on her cheek. "I'll call you soon," he promised.

Leaving the hospital Oliver took a moment to breathe the night air and decide what he was going to do with the rest of his night. Thea would be out with Roy no doubt, regardless of his feeling on the matter, and his mother was still in police custody – for her safety and as part of the ongoing investigation. As to his old friends, they were both upstairs in the hospital.

His thoughts for the last half hour had however been on one of his newer friends, a certain blonde who had visited a man who was neither friend nor family and delivered flowers because she cared.

She had given him a key to her apartment once, so he could have a place to crash closer to the hospital and a place to hide from the press. He hadn't used the key and she had never mentioned it again, not that they had had a chance for a normal – for them at least – conversation since.

Decision made, Oliver turned to his bike and headed towards Felicity's apartment.

* * *

Roy drove past the apartment block where Felicity Smoak's address was listed. He honestly didn't know what had brought him there. It was late, the middle of the night, so he couldn't knock on her door and talk to her. He wasn't a stalker, he reasoned, he wasn't watching _her_, he was watching for _him_. The Vigilante. He was drawing at straws, he knew, but he had to know.

The roar of another motorcycle knocked him to his senses and he pulled into the laneway with the fire escape. Looking up he thought it might even lead onto Smoak's apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"_Freeze," he shouted, gun pointed at Felicity's head. She had no choice but to obey, and he stepped forward until the cold metal touched her forehead. She shivered and a cruel smile passed over his face. "You shouldn't have done that," he said and pulled the trigger._

Felicity's eyes snapped open and…she screamed, not expecting a man to be in her bedroom, at night and leaning over her. She screamed again and scrambled backwards, lashing out with her arms and throwing her pillows at the intruder.

"Felicity! Hey, hey, it's me, it's Oliver." He lent forward and switched on her bedside lamp, passed Felicity her glasses which she crammed on her nose angrily, then returned to sitting on the end of her bed, hands up in a placating gesture. He was wearing his usual jeans and a jumper, and a slightly apologetic look.

"Oliver!? What the hell!"

"You gave me a key, remember."

"Yes, but, not for this!"

"And 'this' is?" he asked with a smirk.

"For you to be, well there, in my bed, I mean on my bed…and I'm going to stop there. Sorry, why are you here?" Her phone, sitting on the bedside table, rang then and she signalled for him to hold on for a second. "Hello?...Yes, I'm fine Mrs Gettison…No, I did scream...Sorry for waking you...I saw a spider." She turned a deep shade of pink and closed her eyes, "Yes, I'm sure the young gentleman you saw coming into my apartment would be more than happy to deal with the spider…Thank you, Mrs Gettison. Goodnight."

"A friendly neighbour?" Oliver asked innocently.

"Be quiet," Felicity ordered, glaring. "Just stay there, I need a moment."

Getting off the bed she headed into her bathroom and closed the door. Looking into the mirror she cringed; her hair was a mess and she wore no makeup so her skin was pale and the bags under her eyes weren't hidden. She'd done well the last few weeks to get that past the observant Oliver. At least she was wearing something Oliver had seen before – she tried not to think of Oliver knowing her sleep outfits by heart – just an old t-shirt and shorts. Washing the sweat off her face she then grabbed her toothbrush and started to clean her teeth. Opening the door with the toothbrush still in her mouth she found Oliver on the other side, hand up ready to knock.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his eyes. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Yes, because entering a woman's apartment in the dead of night without her knowing and waking her up by hovering over her bed isn't going to scare anyone."

"You were having a nightmare," he offered.

"That doesn't negate the whole hovering over the bed thing, Oliver. Kind of makes it worse."

He frowned. "Why are you brushing your teeth?"

"I find mint soothing," she said before slamming the bathroom door in his face.

When she exited a minute later she found Oliver stretched out on top of her bed, arms behind his head and leaning against the pillows she had previously thrown around the room. Lifting up her side of the covers he silently gestured for her to get in.

"Are you asking me to go to bed with you?" Embarrassed, she rolled her eyes to the ceiling, "Why does this happen?" she asked the universe.

"It's cold," Oliver explained, "and the bed is comfortable."

He wasn't going to move and she knew for a fact that he was too heavy for her to move, so Felicity gave in to the inevitable and climbed back into bed.

"Why do you find mint soothing?" he asked curiously.

"When I was little and had to miss a day at school because I was sick, my grandmother would look after me. She had these little mint lollies that she gave me to settle my stomach. So any type of mint or peppermint reminds me of being looked after by my grandma. I have mint toothpaste – reminds me just as well while actively preventing cavities."

"And that works?"

"Yes. Surely you've got something that calms you; a comfort food, an old blanket or a childhood memory?"

"When I was younger and Thea was a little kid I used to sit in a rocking chair and read her stories. When Dad got the yacht, the _Queen's Gambit,_ I loved spending time on it, the rocking of the waves. I-I don't find that soothing anymore."

"Understandably."

"What was your nightmare about, Felicity?"

"I don't know."

"You're lying."

"Pot meet kettle."

"I tell you the truth," he defended.

"You don't tell me about your nightmares. You just growl and go spend time climbing that stupid ladder thing."

"It's not stupid."

"You have never, once, as the Hood had to scale a building or climb anything using just a pole. It's redundant."

He stared into her earnest eyes. "I dream about the Island," he said bitterly.

"Well, duh. I knew that, I mean that is pretty much your defining moment." He glared. "I know you don't like to talk about it – it's very personal letting someone know what it is that scares you. So the Island scares you and the night of the earthquake scares me." She stared at him with a challenge.

"I can't," he whispered.

"I don't expect you to spill every little secret and tell me every little thing right now, Oliver. Baby steps, not that you're a baby or anything, it's just an expression because babies take small steps opposed to a fully grown adult, though technically babies try to step and end up falling at first, not that that should be applied to the metaphor…and I am talking about babies with Oliver Queen currently sharing a bed with me."

"Yeah, you are."

Felicity punched him in the arm, which hurt her more than him. "My point is, start small. Find someone you trust and talk to them. I know things are complicated with Laurel, but she's always been there for you."

"Complicated is an understatement," he laughed hollowly. "Hey, how did we end up talking about me?"

"Because you have more issues."

"Felicity…"

"You never said why you were here."

"You gave me a key."

"Yes, we've established that. But why are you here at this exact time of night?"

"I was visiting Tommy," he admitted. "Laurel stopped by, it got complicated and I guess I just wanted to speak to someone less complicated."

"Glad I could help," she mumbled.

"Are you falling asleep on me, Smoak?"

"It's my bed, what do you expect?" she yawned.

"This conversation isn't over," he warned.

She was already asleep.

* * *

Felicity woke with the strangest thought – that Oliver Queen had spent the night on her bed. Carefully looking out of the corner of her eye, in case it was true, she noted that there wasn't a man in her bed but that the sheets were wrinkled. Then the sound of someone moving around her kitchen met her ears.

"So it wasn't a dream," she murmured. Placing her glasses on her head she went to investigate.

"Find anything interestingly?" she asked dryly.

Oliver lifted his head out of her fridge, looking not a bit guilty. "Why do you only have leftover Thai food?"

"Because I haven't gone shopping," she said sardonically.

"Get dressed," he ordered.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm taking you out to breakfast and unless you want to go dressed in that, I suggest you go change."

"You are not the boss of me, Oliver Queen," she threatened. He smirked. "Okay, yes technically you are, but I'm not your indentured servant."

"Just get dressed, Felicity."

She huffed, but complied.

"So where are we going?" she asked for the third time as Oliver led her down to the street.

"To breakfast."

"You are really good at keeping secrets, you know that."

"Practice," he said moodily. He climbed onto his bike.

"I have a car, you know. It's great; has four walls and roof, five seats with nice socially accepted distances separating them. Did I mention the walls? Because there is nothing quite as reassuring as a metal cage between you and certain death."

"You've ridden with me before," he reminded her.

"Yes and those points were all valid then too."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, reaching up to gently place his helmet over her head. "You'll be fine. Trust me."

"I'm pretty sure my father set down some very strict rules about boys and motorcycles," she muttered, climbing on behind Oliver and wrapping her arms around him.

Oliver laughed as they drove off.

"This is where you take me?" Felicity asked incredulously, looking up at the familiar sight of Big Belly Burger.

"Surprise," Oliver smiled, pulling her inside.

They took a seat in one of the booths and ordered, Oliver the breakfast special and Felicity waffles. The food came quickly and Oliver dug in while Felicity daintily picked at hers.

"You don't like the waffles?" Oliver asked when he was nearly finished and she had only taken a few bites.

"No, it's not that. These are great waffles. Just not hungry I guess."

"Why aren't you hungry?"

She shrugged.

"You've lost weight. You haven't been sleeping. You keep flinching at sudden noises. Felicity, you've got to talk about it."

"Why now, Oliver?" she asked, putting down her cutlery. "Why do you pick now of all times to take notice? Where were you last week when I hadn't sleep for three days straight? Where were you the week before that when I couldn't walk into the underground parking garage at QC without shaking? Where were you the week before that when Diggle noticed all of the above and talked to me about it? He explained what posttraumatic stress disorder was and how I should find someone to talk to. Problem is talking to someone about it kind of links to the whole secret basement, Vigilante thing."

"Felicity…"

She held up a hand. "Stop, please. Sorry, I shouldn't have gone off like that. My problems don't automatically mean they are your problems too. Excuse me," she got up and all but ran out the door.

Oliver quickly paid for the meal and followed, easily following her blonde hair through the small crowd. She stopped on the street corner, looking uncertain and upset. Walking up to her, making sure she could see him and wasn't about to scare her, he gently held her shoulders, stooping down so her could see her eyes. They were glassy with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry," she gasped. "I didn't mean to give you a guilt trip. I know you have a lot on your plate with your mother technically being a terrorist and your best friend being in a coma after you killed his father. And then there is your sister who is still trying to deal with all of it and your ex-girlfriend that you still have a thing for but she is confused what with also being in love with your best friend at the same time. And you can't forget the whole secret alter-ego and the fact that your complicated on-again-off-again girlfriend's father is trying to hunt you down, though for the moment he's called a truce. And I didn't even cover the five years of emotional stress being stranded on an island."

"But you forgot that my IT girl is having nightmares and that I can't help but worry about her," he said softly. "Even if I was a bad friend and didn't notice it when I should have."

"See this is why I didn't want you to know. You're feeling guilty."

"Felicity, did you visit Tommy in the hospital and leave him flowers?" She looked confused at the question, but nodded 'yes'. "He isn't anything to you though."

"He doesn't have any family," she shrugged. "And he's your friend."

"Felicity, you have always been there for me. You trusted me before you even knew the whole story and then you saved my life and my secret when you found me shot in your car. You obviously know all about my trials and tribulations," he offered a tight smile. "All I ask…no, all I want…is that you let me do the same for you. I'm not perfect, I have my own issues to sort through, but you let me lean on you, so it's only fair that you lean on me."

"Okay," she said, looking a little dazed. She didn't think she had ever heard Oliver talk that much about himself in one go.

He pulled her into a solid hug which Felicity hesitantly returned. "Baby steps, Felicity," he whispered. "You don't have to tell me anything, but you do have to talk to someone."

"I know," she said into his chest.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Are you sure about this?" Felicity asked, nervously wringing the straps on her handbag.

"It will be fine, Felicity," Oliver reassured her. "Diggle is already inside and I'll be with you the whole way."

They were standing at the side entrance to Verdant, the first time Felicity had returned since the earthquake. It had been a few days since she and Oliver had talked, or as he put it, when she shouted at him and he had finally listened. Over the past few days Felicity had started to talk to Oliver about her nightmares, her real change of attitude coming when she went to visit Tommy and caught Oliver talking to him about the Island. If Oliver Queen with five whole years of issues could talk about it, her one night of hell could be talked about as well.

Oliver held out his hand, sensing that she needed a little push. "I need to have the computers set up and you know that if someone other than you does it, it will bug you endlessly," he prompted her.

"That's below the belt and you know it," she teased, taking his hand and letting him help her into the basement, over the still present rubble.

Oliver and Diggle had been working on the basement, on and off, over the last month. They had removed all the evidence of the Hood and stored it off site so a builder, paid a great deal of money for his silence, could assess and fix the ceiling. Everything else was left as it had been after the club had been hit by the earthquake. Piles of concrete that had once belonged to the ceiling along with a few metal supports littered the floor, crushed tables and equipment joining the mess. Felicity's computers had been totally wiped out. But luckily, for Oliver, the rubble was all aesthetic, the structural integrity of the building and the ceiling still holding.

Walking into the centre of the room Felicity took in the destruction, bathed in the light of six floodlights.

"It looked a lot worse when I couldn't see it all at once," Felicity said absently. She moved to inspect the mangled piece of metal that had been her desk, crushed by one of the bigger pieces of the roof. "You should get more tables like this," she said.

"It buckled, though," Diggle pointed out, suit jacket off and shirt sleeves rolled up as he pulled pieces of equipment out of the rubble.

Felicity shrugged, "Yeah, but it still stopped the giant rock from squishing me."

Oliver choked. "I'm sorry. You were under that?"

"Didn't have time to make it anywhere else." She shrugged again. "Now, do we want to put the computers in the same place, or move them to another part of the room? I was thinking we should put in a generator so in the event of a power out we aren't stuck down here in the dark. Not to mention the club will be able to stay open."

"That's a good idea," Diggle said when Oliver didn't answer right away. "Keep the computers where they were, the layout worked well. Right, Oliver?"

"Right," he said, eyes still bouncing from Felicity to her destroyed desk. She had come out of the basement with scratches and a nasty cut or two, but he hadn't thought that she had come that close to serious injury or death. Felicity had told him about that night, but it was now obvious that she had played down the danger to herself. He really was an idiot for not noticing. He cleared his throat, "Do you want to go upstairs now, get it over with?"

Felicity froze. "I suppose I should." She tried to smile, but it looked grim.

"Diggle," Oliver called.

"I'm with you," he said, walking over.

Together the three of them walked up the stairs and into the club. As soon as she saw the bar, Felicity froze. Oliver reached for her hand. "Talk us through it, Felicity. We're right here, you're safe and we're not going to leave you."

Her voice wobbled, but got stronger as she continued. "There were three of them looting the bar. One had a gun, the ringleader. When I got out of the basement he threatened me with it. They wanted a girl to go with their drinks, they said." Both Oliver's and Diggle's expressions darkened. "So when they gave me a glass of vodka and they were distracted I threw it in the gunman's face and tried to get out of there. I got two of them before the guy with the gun recovered."

_Felicity raised her glass with the others, and then threw the contents right into the eyes of the gunman. He screamed in pain and while the other two were distracted, she grabbed a bottle under the bar with her free hand and smashed it over the head of the closest man with all her might. She jumped down behind the bar where the other man tried to grab her. The hours of practice in the basement with Diggle kicked in and she let him grab her arm only to flip him over her hip with his momentum. He landed, the air knocked out of his lungs and stayed down. But before she could run, the gunman recovered._

"_Freeze," he shouted, gun once again trained on Felicity's head. She had no choice but to obey, and he stepped forward until the cold metal touched her forehead. She shivered and a cruel smile passed over his face. "You shouldn't have done that," he said and pulled the trigger._

"Felicity, shush, it's alright. It's just you, me and Diggle, here, no one else. You're safe, I promise." Slowly Felicity came aware of her surroundings. She was sobbing, Oliver holding her to his chest while Diggle kept a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Just breathe," he soothed. "What happened next?"

"Oliver," Diggle warned.

"She can take it," he smiled down at Felicity.

"He told me to freeze," she eventually got out. "He pointed the gun at me and walked forward until I could feel it on my head."

"You've been in that kind of situation before, Felicity," Oliver said. "What made this different?"

"He pulled the trigger," she gasped out.

"What?"

"He pulled the trigger, but there wasn't a bullet in the chamber."

"Oh, sweetheart," Diggle said, understanding hitting his features.

"Every time I hear a car backfire or a loud noise or a gunfight on the TV I think it's the gun finally going off. I know that it doesn't make sense, the guy shot off seven bullets as I ran to the basement, but I keep going back to the bullet that wasn't fired."

"You thought you were going to die," Oliver summed up.

She nodded weakly.

"But you didn't," he reminded her. "You got out. You got away."

"This here, confronting the scene, was good, Felicity," Diggle reassured her. "You won't magically go back to normal, but slowly, as you come to terms with nearly dying, things will get better."

"How?" she whispered.

"Eating right, exercising, doing things that make you feel alive. Not now, but another time I'll even take you to a shooting range, get _you_ to shoot a gun, so that you can feel in control again."

"Okay."

"Is Carly at work today?" Oliver asked Diggle.

"Yeah, she's got the lunch shift."

"What do you two say to a lunch break? Have some of the best burgers in town."

"Sounds like a plan. Felicity?"

"Sure."

When they got there and Oliver ordered for all of them, she gave him a grateful smile as he added on a cup of peppermint tea.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Felicity started to go back to her usual self. She still had nightmares, but they were no longer nightly. Between Diggle and Oliver, she was forced into eating properly and into a more frequent training regime. The recovery of the basement at Verdant was going slowly, Oliver pulled in all directions from all of his commitments.

Felicity knew she was on the mend when one day she was able to go into the basement by herself to set up the final stage of the computers. Afterwards she walked up into the still vacant club, untouched except for the reinforcement of the entrance doors and the rewired lighting. Taking a broom she started to sweep up the glass around the bar; pieces from the windows broken in the quake and pieces from broken bottles, smashed from the misfire of a gun. She didn't have a flashback and she didn't have a panic attack. It was only slightly uncomfortable and she went home and slept for a full eight hours that night, no nightmares at all.

She didn't watch crime dramas on the TV anymore, but she also didn't flinch at loud sounds. The worst she got was when she felt like someone was watching her, sending her into a few nights of bad dreams, but she shook it off as paranoia, for having not caught the three men that looted Verdant. She had flagged their descriptions on all her databases as well as several of the rarer bottles of alcohol they had stolen. Nothing had turned up yet and she suspected Oliver had wanted to ask her about it, but didn't want to push her. She was having a bet with Diggle to how long before he cracked and asked if she could find them so he could hood-up and visit them as the Vigilante.

It was late on Friday night and Felicity was in her office at the QC IT department, unwillingly working late unlike several weeks ago when she had used it as an excuse to avoid her problems. One of the servers had crashed just at the end of the day and she needed to get it back up and running before everyone returned in the morning.

Her phone rang and she picked it up, tucking it under one ear, not stopping her typing. "Hello?"

"Hey, Felicity, it's Oliver. I tried your cell, but you didn't answer."

"Sorry, I'm a little distracted."

"Oh?"

"I can't leave until I get the server back up and running and I had a bottle of wine at home waiting to be opened so I'm trying to get this done in time to still enjoy my Friday night."

"Drinking wine alone on a Friday night. That doesn't sound very social."

"Not like there is anyone else I know with nothing to do on a Friday night."

"You could ask me."

"I thought you were hanging out with your sister?"

"Her friend had boyfriend issues and she went to her house for an emergency girl's night."

"Oliver, are you asking me to ask you out, well not out-out, like a date, but more like a night out together, just us, which really does sound like a date now I think about it…You're just going to let me keep going while I dig myself a deeper hole aren't you?"

"I was thinking about it."

"Well, this discussion is futile, and therefore should be erased from your memory, because I have to finish my work and I don't know how long it will take."

"Another time then."

He hung up and Felicity held out the phone and looked at it like it was a computer mouse that had turned into the real, white, fluffy thing with a tail.

Shaking her head she returned to work.

* * *

Roy was going crazy. He was so close to the Vigilante, all it was that stood in his way was the quirky IT girl Felicity Smoak. And that was why, against his better judgement, he decided to confront her. At her home would be too threatening, so he decided on crossing paths with her at QC. The building's security was too good, so instead he snuck into the parking garage. He'd seen Smoak driving her car a few times and it didn't take him long to find it. She was one of the few people who bothered working late and her car was the only one left on that level of the garage.

It was over an hour since he rang up her office and got the engaged tone, when she emerged from the elevator, bag in hand and a sombre black coat over her bright pink skirt with matching lipstick. Even if she wasn't the only person in sight she would stand out.

Flipping his red hood up and over his face, he stepped out of the shadows.

Felicity jumped and redoubled the grip on her bag. "Are you okay?" she asked hesitantly. "Because you don't look okay, not that you look bad, you just look, uh…" she trailed off.

"Do you know the Vigilante?" Roy asked in a low voice.

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know the Vigilante?"

"Everyone knows the Vigilante. I mean he's on the news nearly every night. At first he was on in only the first part about crime sprees and threats to public safety but now he's on later and most people kind of think he's a hero. I'm one of those. Not a hero, but a person who thinks he's a hero, saving Starling City and all that."

"Do you know who the Vigilante is?" Roy asked stepping closer.

"No. Nobody does. He does wear the hood for a reason."

"Has the Vigilante ever contacted you?"

"Why would he contact me?"

"I've heard you are good at what you do."

"I work in an IT department. I can't see how that would mean I had contact with the Vigilante."

"Tell me what you know!" he ordered, out of patience.

A sound echoed through the underground level and Roy pulled out the gun he had acquired, pointing it near but not directly at Felicity. "Who else is here?" he demanded.

"I don't know," she said quietly, eyes riveted on the gun. "I mean it could be someone else who works here or one of the security guards."

"Shut up!"

"You asked," she muttered.

Roy was busy looking both ways, trying to figure out which way the sound had come from.

"Look," Felicity said, "you don't need me. We can both leave, right now, no consequences."

"No, I need you to contact the Hood for me."

"Why? He only goes after criminals, people who have failed the city. While you are doing a bang up job at being a criminal you are not failing the city."

"What? No! I'm not a criminal, not anymore."

It was this moment that Oliver took to tackle him to the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Having decided that an hour after calling Felicity she would now be done with her work, Oliver had headed over to Queen Consolidated to meet her. He intended to persuade her into going out with him, but not 'out-out' as she had put it. Her office had been dark and empty so he had backtracked to the parking garage hoping that he had just missed her.

He smiled when he saw her, but it quickly fell when he saw the look on her face and what appeared to be a young man wearing a red hoodie threatening her about the Vigilante. Retreated to the shadows he reviewed the layout of the garage in his mind and figured out the best angle of approach. He didn't have the time to change into the Hood; his suit was on the other side of the city. At least it wasn't unusual to see Oliver Queen in his family's company's building.

Coming at the pair from another angle, he saw that the man had produced a gun and his concern for Felicity doubled. She was keeping him talking, trying to reason with him to leave, but when one of her comments backfired and the man got angry, Oliver sprang into action.

Running silently, he reached the man in seconds and tackled him to the ground, making sure to pin his arms to his body so he couldn't use the gun. The man, more of a kid Oliver realised, was good, keeping a hold of his weapon even as they hit the ground. He was able to fight out of Oliver's grip, but Oliver immediately grabbed onto him again, trying to get in a punch or kick that would immobilise him. But every time the young man would deflect the blow. Finally, using a dirty move, Oliver was able to pin the man with his back on the cold floor, arms held to his sides with Oliver's knees. He grabbed the gun from his hand and slid it across the floor, stopping underneath Felicity's car. Yanking the red hood of his head, Oliver got the surprise of his life.

"_Roy?_"

"Oliver?"

"What the hell were you thinking, Roy?! A gun?!"

"It wasn't loaded! Now get off me, you're heavy."

"You think I'm going to let you get away with this just because you are dating my sister?"

"Maybe?" he hedged.

"Stay here. Do not move. If you do, I will find you and make your life a living hell." He stood up, waiting a second to see if Roy would bail. He just sat up though, rubbing one of the bruises that would no doubt develop.

Slowly, making no sudden movements, Oliver approached Felicity. She had frozen when he first appeared, watching the short but intense fight with wide eyes.

"Felicity, are you alright?"

"I think so," she said, dazed. "That is Thea's boyfriend. I can see why you don't like him."

"Felicity, look at me," Oliver ordered. Finally she made eye contact and her knees buckled. "Whoa," he said, grabbing her around the waist. "The gun wasn't loaded. He couldn't have shot you if he tried."

"He was asking about the Vigilante, Oliver. He wants to talk to him."

"I think that can be arranged."

"Oliver…"

"Trust me."

She nodded and he helped her over to her car, placing her in the passenger seat. Taking the gun that he had thrown under, he tucked it into the back of his jeans after checking that it was indeed unloaded.

Going back to Roy, he walked forward until he was toe to toe with the younger man.

"If I hear anything ever again about you with a gun I will personally make sure you never see my sister again."

"I wasn't going to use the gun," he said stubbornly. "It was just for protection."

"Congratulations, you just successfully protected yourself from an unarmed, defenceless woman."

"Look man, I just wanted to…"

"Get in touch with the Hood Guy. Yes, I heard. Did you ever think that maybe that wasn't such a good idea?"

"You wouldn't understand," he bit out.

"No I probably wouldn't. Now go home and keep out of trouble."

Turning on his heel, he marched back to the car and drove Felicity home.

It was a silent ride, Felicity processing her night and Oliver restraining the urge to hit something. By silent accord she let him enter her apartment.

"Are you okay?" he asked again as she shucked off her shoes and coat before dropping onto her couch.

"Yeah. I really think I am. A little shocked, but not traumatised or anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Good, because I was wondering if you were up for a meeting with Diggle."

"What are you thinking, Oliver?"

"That we could maybe use a fourth member for our team."

* * *

Roy arrived home and spent the next few hours on his couch, hoping that Oliver wouldn't say anything to his sister and then thinking up ways in which he could explain it so Thea would understand.

A single knock on the door distracted him. Opening the door he found an arrow imbedded in the wood. A piece of paper was stuck on the arrow containing a single address in the Glades. Grabbing his red hoodie, Roy was out the door in seconds.

Twenty minutes later and he looked up at the empty nightclub Verdant in surprise. Walking the perimeter he found an open door, hidden in the shadows, inconspicuous apart from the arrow sticking out of it.

Hesitantly he pushed the door open further and walked into the semidarkness.

"Oh my God," he said, looking around. It was a basement, trashed with rubble, but here and there was some expensive equipment, for training and some technology, but most notably amidst the range of weapons were the dozens of arrows. Some were normal size, fletched in green, and then there were some smaller ones, exactly like the one had on his bookshelf at home. This was the Vigilante's hideout…under Oliver Queen's nightclub.

"Impressed?" Oliver asked, stepping out of the shadows, quiver on his back and bow in hand. "You sound impressed."

"You-you're the Vigilante?" Roy asked, stepping forward. "You said he was a psychopath and warned me and Thea away from him."

"Well, I would know."

"Thea said the Island changed you, but she has no idea does she?"

"No. And she never will, Roy."

"You're going to kill me?"

"No, I'm going to swear you to silence for the sake of my sister's happiness and wellbeing, with the promise that if you can stand it, I will train you to be like me."

"You're offering me like a job."

"I've always wanted a sidekick."

"Yes. I accept. I'll keep your secret. This is something that I want to do, something I believe in."

"Glad to hear it, Roy." Then in a blink of an eye he knocked an arrow and shot it so that it flew past Roy's ear.

"What was that for?!" he asked, ducking and staring at Oliver like he was crazy.

"A warning. If you ever threaten Felicity Smoak's life again, I will not hesitate to put an arrow in you."

"Look, I understand and I'm sorry. I was desperate, not thinking."

"You got that right."

"Does she have anything to do with your…operation, though?"

"She, along with John Diggle, helps me track down the people that have failed this city. She is also someone I care about. Luckily for you she does not hold grudges, because if she did you would find your bank funds drained, you would be on several government watch lists and any and all information you wanted to stay hidden would be out in the open."

"She's that good?"

"The best." He took a seat on top of one of the new tables. "Unluckily for you however, is that _I_ do hold grudges. While I won't be shooting you with an arrow today, I will demand that you clean up this room before I even begin to train you."

Roy looked around at the piles of concrete, debris and broken tables littered around the huge room. "All of it?"

"All of it."

Roy got to work.

* * *

"Roy are you even listening to me?" Thea asked, pausing in the middle of her sentence.

"What? Oh, sorry, I'm just really tired. Didn't get much sleep last night. Your brother kept me late at the club."

"Wow, he really is working you to the bone. I almost think it's his way of keeping us from seeing each other."

"Probably. Now what were you saying?"

"Oliver said he was asking that Felicity Smoak to the charity ball next week. He never asks someone like her to the charity balls. I'm seriously thinking that he's in love with her."

"Oh, he is."

"What?"

"It's a guy thing, trust me. Oliver is head over heels in love with Felicity Smoak."

"Huh."

* * *

**Thanks for reading.**


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